Movie review: ‘Midsommar’ offers up a mysterious mindset of a movie

Ed Symkus More Content Now

Wednesday

Jun 26, 2019 at 1:01 AM

Last year, first-time feature writer-director Ari Aster established himself as someone to watch in the horror-art genre with “Hereditary,” a film that mixed straight-ahead drama with extreme outlandishness - and some true terror - in a study of a person devolving into madness.

Aster takes it all a step forward or a step backward (there are going to be arguments between viewers on this subject) in “Midsommar,” which also focuses on a descent into madness.

It’s confirmed in the first few minutes that the lead character, Dani (Florence Pugh, recently seen as a pro wrestler in “Fighting with My Family”), doesn’t quite have her act together. She’s worried about her parents always bickering, she’s concerned about upsetting emails she gets from her bipolar sister, she knows that she complains and worries aloud too much to her seemingly distant boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor), and she’s dependent on Xanax to get her through each day.

It’s only a few minutes more till she finds out her sister has killed her parents and committed suicide, and till viewers are made aware that, unknown to Dani, Christian has been thinking of getting out of the relationship for a year.

So, this story is going to be a rough ride for Dani. But she is the most interesting character in it, and the hard-to-take but amazing-to-watch performance by Pugh is the best thing about the film.

The transition from Dani’s emotional turmoil to Christian’s hidden dissatisfaction with her to a plot about Christian and his college pals heading for a vacation in Sweden with - uh-oh - Dani tagging along is not a smooth one, nor is it explained well. One of those pals, Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) has invited the guys to attend a mid-summer festival back in his little hometown where they’ll meet his family. Hold on, let me change that: his “family.”

So, with Pelle leading the way, Christian and Dani, along with Mark (Will Poulter) and Josh (William Jackson Harper) fly to Stockholm, then hop in a car for a long drive north, to the village - maybe it should just be called a commune - of Harga.

While still en route, our travelers make a stop that includes the ingestion of some choice psychedelics. Thinking only of Dani, it’s probably not a good idea to do that sort of thing when you’re so unstable.

In Harga, Pelle’s extended “family” walk or dance or move in twisting lines through open farmland, and go in and out of most - but not all - of the buildings. Everyone wears white, some of them stroll around playing wooden flutes. Are they nature worshippers? Are they Swedish hippies? Are they A PAGAN CULT???

The travelers are welcomed with open arms, are informed that “it’s been 90 years since our last feast, and it will be another 90 years till our next ... and we have so much to give back.” They’re also told to sit around and relax because tomorrow, the ceremonies will begin. But they’re not told anything about the fires at different areas of the property or the constant dancing and chanting ... or about, right there, in plain sight, the bear in the wooden cage.

This is a film that starts out in a disturbing manner, offers up bits of weirdness, draws characters and viewers into an uncomfortable atmosphere, turns horrific - watch out for some of the rituals practiced way up north - and eventually adds in a few scenes of grisly gore. This village is not a good place to be if you’re unstable, or even if you’re just an outsider.

Unfortunately, the script keeps getting in the way of itself. There are unnecessary plot developments (including unrest between the college friends), and some repetition, and at 140 minutes, it’s easy to feel how slowly and deliberately it’s directed.

Creepy things start happening, bad things start happening, the locals get stranger, the visitors become paranoid. You begin to wonder whatever became of that bear. Things get overwrought, then go way beyond over the top, in a kind of repulsive way.

“Midsommar” will certainly have its fans, but it’s probably not a good film for any viewers who are unstable.

Ed Symkus writes about movies for More Content Now. He can be reached at esymkus@rcn.com.